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PLN Gradually Recovers Electricity Supply (0)
State-owned electricity firm PT PLN has recovered electric power to Balaraja Extra High Voltage substation in Banten Province, and furthermore it will be channeled to Suralaya steam-fueled power plant (PLTU) to gradually recover its operation to reach its capacity of 2800 MW of electricity.
In addition, power supply from Gandul Extra High Voltage substations in Depok, West Java Province, will be channeled to Muara Karang gas and steam power plant (PLTGU) to supply electricity to the Indonesian capital city, Jakarta.
Acting President Director of PLN Sripeni Inten Cahyani said here on Sunday that the power supply to Jakarta was expected to recover within three hours.
"We apologize for the inconvenience today, and currently all efforts have been made to recover the Java-Bali power system, especially in the area of West Java, Banten, and Jakarta," Cahyani said.
The company has focused on power supply to PLTGU Muara Karang and PLTGU Priok to recover the system in the capital city.
Previously, PLN has recovered the operation of hydro-generated power plant (PLTA) Saguling and PLTA Cirata which are functioned as power stabilizer, and, at the same time, supply the electricity to PLTU Suralaya through Cibinong, Depok, Gandul, Lengkok, Balaraja and Suralaya extra high voltage substations.
PLTU Suralaya is expected to return to its normal operation within six hours to normalize power system in West Java and Banten.
Blackout that affected thousands of homes and public facilities in West Java, Jakarta, and Banten was caused by several troubles in the extra high voltage 500 kV transmission of Ungaran - Pemalang.
"PLN has taken its best efforts and will have evaluation to prevent recurrence of today's incident," Cahyani said.
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April
Structural reforms to boost economic growth: Finance Minister
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has said that the structural reforms being carried out by the Indonesian government are expected to lead to high economic growth of above 6 percent by 2025.
"Indonesia's economic growth is expected to increase with the contribution of structural reforms," she stated at the Central Development Coordination Meeting (Rakorbangpus) in Jakarta on Thursday.
The structural reforms cover five strategic policies on human resource development (HR), infrastructure development, bureaucratic reform, simplification of regulations, and economic transformation, the minister informed.
She said the success of structural reforms would shift the trajectory of economic growth and accelerate growth to above 6 percent.
According to Indrawati, without structural reforms, economic performance will return to the business as usual (BAU) level of around 5 percent and lead to a productivity loss of Rp2,301 trillion in 2021-2025.
However, through appropriate structural reforms, economic growth could touch 5.8 percent in 2022 and 5.3 percent this year, she said.
"This structural transformation can support or contribute to higher economic growth, especially in the investment and export factors," she added.
As a result of the reforms, household consumption is expected to grow 5.2 percent (yoy) in 2022, while consumption of Non-Profit Institutions Serving Households (LNPRT) is forecast to reach 7.2 percent (yoy), government consumption 5.2 percent (yoy), investment 6.6 percent (yoy), exports 6.8 percent (yoy), and imports 6.1 percent (yoy), Indrawati said.
"Through reforms, the acceleration of investment growth is expected to reach above 7 percent (in 2025) as well as exports. This can support economic growth of above 6 percent without having to burden the state budget,” she added. (antaranews)
April
Millions of tree seedlings should be planted on coast: BNPB
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Head Doni Monardo stressed on the need for planting millions of tree seedlings across Indonesia’s coastal areas to mitigate impacts of disasters on vegetation.
"Today, 3,313 tree seedlings have been planted, and this figure is certainly not sufficient because we still need millions of trees to be planted throughout our coastal areas," Monardo remarked here on Wednesday.
Monardo made this statement to reporters after planting pule, palaka and butun tree seedlings in the context of the Disaster Participatory Vegetation Mitigation Movement-Vegetation Planting of Cemara Sewu Beach in Bunton Village, Adipala Sub-District of Cilacap.
The BNPB head explained that Bunton was selected as the location for planting tree seedlings since the village was hit by an earthquake and tsunami in 2006 originating from the south of Pangandaran in West Java.
Monardo noted that several villages along the Cilacap coast were also affected by the tsunami in 2006, in which 165 people had lost their lives.
"It turns out that in 1921, an earthquake and tsunami had also hit the Cilacap area. What does it mean? It means that the earthquake and tsunami are recurring events. In a period of tens and perhaps hundreds of years to come, these events are likely to happen again," he cautioned.
Hence, vegetation-based mitigation is one of BNPB's efforts to reduce the disaster risk.
Such decision, in accordance with President Joko Widodo's orders, was taken to prevent people from becoming victims when a disaster struck. Hence, early preparation was deemed crucial.
"We all have an obligation to protect our coastal areas, both from abrasion and the threat of a tsunami, especially beaches that are at risk of earthquakes and tsunamis, especially on the western coast along the island of Sumatra and the southern part of Java Island, as well as several other areas in Sulawesi and Maluku, North Maluku, and northern Papua," the agency’s head emphasized.
For mitigation efforts, Monardo noted that the types of vegetation suitable for coastal areas are cypress, sea ketapang, pule, palaka, and waru as well as several other types of plants that can survive for prolonged periods of time or for hundreds of years.
The BNPB head recalled having seen the largest pule tree ever at the Ambon Navy Main Base (Lantamal) IX. The tree measured over 30 meters in height and over three meters in diameter.
"It means the tree is probably more than 400 years old. I spotted another palaka tree in Ambon City too that was the same as the one I had nurtured on Seram Island," he recollected.
The palaka tree has a width, reaching that of 30 adults holding hands. It means the palaka tree species has a long lifespan. The tree is believed to last for hundreds of years and has strong roots.
"Hence, if we grow and manage vegetation along the coast, it means we can provide protection for the future generations," Monardo remarked.
Hence, the agency head concluded that millions more trees were still required to be planted in Indonesia along the coast, especially to tackle abrasion and as precautionary measure against a likely tsunami in future.
"Another point of concern is that the Laban tree was cut down in several areas. The tree was earlier able to protect coastal areas from abrasion," the agency head noted. (Antaranews)
April
Digitization can help push sharia economy development: VP
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. Digitization can play an important role in developing sharia economy and finance in Indonesia because it could arrest a decline in the sale of halal products, boost certification of such products, and enable social fund transactions, Vice President Ma’ruf Amin.
"Digitization can play a significant role in, among other things, holding the pace of the decline in the sales of halal industrial products, accelerating online audit mechanisms in applying for halal certificates, and encouraging an increase in the value of sharia (economy),” Amin said.
As mentioned in the framework set by the National Committee for Sharia Economy and Finance (KNEKS), opportunities and challenges in the digitization of the sharia economy are focused on four areas, he said at a webinar on sharia economy organized by Diponegoro University (Undip), Semarang, Central Java on Wednesday.
"(They are) halal industry, use of big data, artificial intelligence, and block chain in supporting the development of the halal industry from upstream to downstream levels as a new source of growth for the Indonesian economy,” he elaborated.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, digitization has played a crucial role, particularly in online transactions, he noted.
"During 2020, payments for halal products in the e-commerce marketplace were mostly made up of electronic money and bank transfers, which respectively reached 42.10 percent and 23.08 of the market share," he disclosed.
By March 2021, the number of digital financial transactions in the banking industry in Indonesia reached 553.5 million, up 42.47 percent from the same period last year. Meanwhile, the value of transactions also rose 26.44 percent year on year to Rp3.025 trillion. (Antaranews)
April
Russian ambassador condoles submarine Nanggala tragedy
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Lyudmila Vorobieva on Wednesday extended her condolences over the tragic sinking of submarine KRI Nanggala-402 in the Bali sea.
"Let us express our deep condolences over the tragic incident involving the Indonesian submarine KRI Nanggala-402, which sank in the Bali waters. This is so large (a) tragedy. We express our sympathy for the bereaved families," she said at a press conference in Jakarta.
During a telephonic conversation on Sunday (April 25, 2021), Russian President Vladimir Putin had extended his condolences to President Joko Widodo over the death of the submarine’s crew and expressed sympathy for the bereaved families, she added.
The ambassador said such an accident had once occurred in Russia.
"This is a tragedy which is unfortunately known in Russian history. We express our sincere sympathy for the Indonesian nation over the tragedy," she added.
KRI Nanggala-402 sank in the waters north of Bali Island while conducting torpedo drills. Contact with the submarine was lost early on April 21, 2021, and it was not until Sunday (April 25, 2021) that it was declared to have sunk, with all its 53 crew members pronounced dead on the basis of evidence retrieved from scanning.
The 40-year-old submarine was found split into three parts on the sea bed after a five-day search.
Built in Germany in 1977, KRI Nanggala-402 was refitted in South Korea in 2012. (Antaranews)
April
COVID-19: Task force reports spike in infections in Jakarta offices
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. The COVID-19 Handling Task Force has reported a sharp rise in coronavirus infections among the office space cluster in Jakarta in the last two weeks.
"From 5 to 11 April 2021, there were 157 positive COVID-19 cases in 78 offices. Meanwhile, from 12 to 18 April, 2021, the number went up to 425 cases in 177 offices," said Wiku Adisasmito, government sokesperson for COVID-19 handling and experts team coordinator, at an online press conference here on Tuesday.
The figure is based on data collected by the Jakarta provincial government, he informed.
In view of the emergence of a number of positive cases in offices, the task force has urged local governments to impose closures on office operations, Adisasmito said.
During the closures, disinfecting measures will need to be carried out in all office spaces to eliminate all possible viruses that may have been left behind, he added.
He also called for testing and tracing measures to be carried out, especially against those who have had close contact with positive cases, in order to curb widespread infections and the emergence of new clusters.
"Optimize the COVID-19 task forces in the offices. If there is yet to be a task force (set up) in the office, then one should be formed," he said.
Performance evaluations should be done against existing task forces, he added.
He also asked offices operating under the Micro Social Activity Restrictions implementation (PPKM) to continue referring to the Home Affairs Minister's instruction Number 9 of 2021 on ensuring a maximum of 50 percent occupancy in offices, with strict implementation of health protocols.
"Local governments have been asked to translate this instruction into local regulations as a clear law enforcement base," he added.
He also said the spike in cases in Jakarta must be taken as a lesson for other areas. "So that other regions that are not implementing the PPKM can immediately regulate this in a clear manner in their local regulations in order to ensure that social-economic activities can continue, under the circumstances, that are safe from COVID-19," he added. (Antaranews)
April
Ministry to set up online mechanism for reporting sexual harassment
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. Minister of Education and Culture, Nadiem Anwar Makarim, has announced that his ministry will institute a mechanism for reporting sexual harassment online.
“At this moment, we are preparing a reporting system for sexual harassment. All will be conducted online and of course, confidentiality will be strictly secured. Do not let reporters become the victims since they are labelled with a negative stigma by the public due to leaked reports,” Makarim stated during an online discussion on ‘Intimate Conversations with Youth who Struggle to be Equal with Minister’, here on Tuesday.
He emphasized that such protection is very important. The minister said he will also form an independent board that will not be appointed internally by colleges, but it will handle sexual harassment at colleges.
“The most important thing is students’ participation in acting like policemen. The ministry will provide support by opening varied reporting channels, so the cases do not (get) stuck at the higher education level, but will be followed up at the ministerial level,” he informed.
In the near future, the ministry will issue a ministerial regulation pertaining to sexual harassment, which will lay down a reporting mechanism, checks and balances, students’ participation, enforcement, public campaigns regarding dos and don’ts, and strict penalties, he added.
“This is basic improvement of Pelajar Pancasila, and it has to be ingrained. The ones who become the backbones of morality are teachers and students,” he remarked.
He then highlighted three educational sins -- intolerance, sexual harassment, and bullying, and said they are symptoms of a moral crisis. Learning independence can be constantly obtained if the educational world is also free from those three sins, he added. (Antaranews)
April
Nearly 12 million Indonesians vaccinated against COVID-19
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. A total of 11,981,034 Indonesians have been administered the COVID-19 vaccine as of Tuesday, according to the Task Force for COVID-19 Handling.
As many as 136,455 people received their first vaccine dose in a single day on Tuesday, while the tally of fully vaccinated recipients (who have received both the doses) reached 7,178,768, including 180,464 people who got their second vaccine jab in the last 24 hours.
The COVID-19 Task Force is targeting to inoculate 40,349,049 Indonesian citizens as part of efforts to achieve herd immunity against the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said that Indonesia has received additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines from Sinovac and AstraZeneca.
Indonesia received 3.8 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX facility, coordinated under the GAVI scheme, on April 26, 2021. In May, 2021, it is expecting to receive another 2 x 3.8 million doses of the vaccine, Sadikin informed.
With the arrival of the additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to Indonesia, the government is planning to again accelerate the pace of the mass vaccination program, the minister said. It had earlier reduced the intensity of vaccinations to maintain the availability of vaccine stocks in the country.
Meanwhile, state-run pharmaceutical firm PT Bio Farma said it is awaiting the Health Ministry’s instructions to distribute AstraZeneca’s 3.8 million vaccine doses, received as part of the second batch of vaccines from the British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical firm based in Britain.
"We are waiting for instructions from the Health Ministry to distribute the vaccines," Bio Farma's corporate secretary, Bambang Heriyanto, informed in a statement released here on Tuesday.
On March 3, 2021, the company had received 1.1 million doses of the first batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine and distributed them to regions.
In the second batch, the company has obtained 3.852 million doses of the vaccine packed in 38,520 boxes.
"After receiving the second batch supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine, we will keep them in a special storage and maintain the temperature between two and eight degrees Celsius," Heriyanto, concurrently the government's spokesperson for the vaccination program, stated.
With the delivery of the second vaccine batch, the government, as of Tuesday, has obtained a total of 67,465,600 doses, including Sinovac's vaccine from China. (Antaranews)
April
Riau Islands: BRGM aims to restore 4,617 ha of mangroves
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. The Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Board (BRGM) has set a target of rehabilitating 4,617 hectares of mangroves in Riau Islands province this year.
Riau Islands’ mangroves are spread over an area of 69,042 hectares, and account for 20.84 percent of Indonesia’s mangrove cover of 3,311.207 hectares, BRGM chief Hartono said in a written statement released on Monday.
Riau Islands is playing a significant role in rehabilitating mangroves, he added.
"For Riau Islands, we will focus on 4,617 hectares of mangroves designated by PDASHL (the directorate general of river basin area and protected forest management) in Sei Jang Duriangkang," he said.
At least six community groups in Bintan, Riau Islands could likely get involved in mangrove ecosystem restoration efforts, he added.
The mangrove ecosystem is a wetland resource in coastal areas and a life-buffer system of high value as it provides ecological and biological resources that can absorb carbon and be developed for tourism.
The BRGM chief expressed the hope that the mangrove rehabilitation program would be backed by the provincial, district, and village administrations. The local community is also taking part in mangrove rehabilitation efforts mandated by the President, he said.
The mangroves which will be rehabilitated are critical, and include fish ponds/former fish ponds, eroded mangrove habitats, and appearing or empty land.
"Mangrove ecosystem rehabilitation must absolutely draw attention from all sides. There needs to be synergy between government institutions and stakeholders. Mangrove rehabilitation must also contribute to improving the quality of the environment and the economy of the people," he said while making a working visit to Riau Islands. (Antaranews)
April
Indonesian warships pay tribute to crew of sunken submarine
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. Several Indonesian warships moored at East Java's Tanjungwangi Port and lowered the national flag to half-mast on Monday to honor 53 submariners who were on board KRI Nanggala - 402 when it sank near Bali.
The warships included KRI Bontang, KRI Oswald Siahaan, KRI Rimau, KRI Bawean,KRI Rigel-933, which located the missing submarine using a multi-beam sonar and magnometer.
Not only warships, but the Indonesian Navy's Marine SAR command post for Nanggala-402 at Tanjungwangi Port in Banyuwangi district, East Java, and the Taftib marine battalion in Surabaya also hoisted the Red and White flag at half-mast.
Earlier, in Jakarta, House of Representatives (DPR) speaker Puan Maharani had made an earnest request to lawmakers to fly the national flag at half-staff at their residences as a mark of respect for the 53 submariners who died on duty.
Maharani also ordered the hoisting of the national flag at half-staff at the parliament building to honor the sailors who were on board KRI Nanggala-402 when itsank in the waters north of Bali Island on April 21, 2021.
Contact with the German-made submarine was lost while it was preparing for a torpedo drill.
Indonesian Navy’s Chief of Staff, Admiral Yudo Margono, confirmed that the submarine had sunk after several of its components were retrieved during the search mission.
"The components (that have been found) are torpedo tube-straighteners, coolant pipes wrap, a bottle of periscope lubricating oil, prayer mats, and heat-retaining sponges," Margono disclosed at a recent press conference. (Antaranews)
April
Indonesia receives 3.8 mln AstraZeneca shots under COVAX scheme
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. Indonesia on Monday received 3.852 million ready-to-use COVID-19 vaccine doses developed by AstraZeneca, as part of the second shipment of vaccines under the COVAX multilateral scheme.
“Tonight, Indonesia has received 3,852,000 ready-to-use vaccine doses. The first shipment batch through the COVAX facility was received by Indonesia on March 3 (2021), with a total of 1.1 million doses,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, at a press conference from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang west of Jakarta, on Monday evening.
With the receipt of the second batch of vaccines, the total number of vaccines the country has procured under the COVAX scheme has reached 4,965,600 doses.
Combined with the vaccines procured through bilateral cooperation, the number of vaccine doses received by Indonesia so far has reached 67,465,600.
While making efforts to ensure that Indonesia’s domestic vaccination needs are met, the government is continuing to advocate for equal access to vaccines for all countries, Foreign Minister Marsudi said.
These efforts are reflected in Indonesia’s active role in discussions on global vaccine issues, especially in its capacity as co-chair of the COVAX AMC Engagement Group, she added.
“We have expressed our concerns on the emergence of new (COVID-19) waves in a number of countries in the world, and the discovery of new variants in a number of countries,” she said.
She also highlighted the rising global demand for vaccine shots, even as vaccine shipments are seeing delays.
For that reason, the Indonesian government is continuing to work towards securing vaccine provisions for Indonesians, she said.
“Day and night, we continue to work in order to ensure that the national vaccination program can continue to be carried out. Day and night, we continue our diplomacy efforts to ensure our vaccine needs are met,” she added. (Antaranews)